


The Voice of Vulcan

by Acidqueen (syredronning)



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Slavery, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-07-01
Updated: 2002-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-27 09:34:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19788151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syredronning/pseuds/Acidqueen
Summary: The Captain of a starship needs a personal bodyguard and decides to buy a Vulcan. They become friends and more...





	The Voice of Vulcan

**Author's Note:**

> In this alternate universe the Orions have successfully occupied Vulcan, slavery is allowed in the Federation and the life as Captain in Starfleet may be dangerous...

Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise strolled along the corridors of the space station of Halkar. He had since some time suspected that Myers, his second-in-command, was planning to get rid of him, and with the deadline of their first five-years-mission looming, pressure was high. Two minor assaults had already taken place, and although Kirk couldn't relate them directly to Myers, there was simply no better explanation for them. Only Myers would possibly earn something from his death. Kirk sighed and wished Starfleet would attract more capable and loyal people, and not only the "get promotion fast" kind of officer, which happened far too often.

The feeling of imminent danger started to gnaw at Kirk's nerves, making him wary and nervous. When he finally realized that he was cautious when walking around in the corridors of his own ship, he had evaluated his possibilities. He didn't feel like he could trust any security guard at the moment, so now he was on his way to buy a personal bodyguard on the local slave market. 

Kirk never had owned slaves, since he was not in general favor of slave trade, but in this moment it was the best of choice. His own heart would be wired with the bodyguard's, and if he would die, the bodyguard would, too. This was an old system, and it worked remarkable well, since every being loved to live in the end... 

The door to hangar deck One opened and Kirk was instantly greeted by the greedy smile of a slim, tall, greenish Orion with the characteristic starch-white hair of this species. "Welcome, Sir! Today we have great variety from sixteen planets, wonderful women, strong men, charming children! What would best suit your particular needs?"

"I'm looking for a strong male humanoid of medium age to use as a bodyguard."

The Orion nodded. "I see. I am sure we can find someone for you. Please follow me."

As Kirk kept close to the Orion through the hall, he saw how the "goods" were sorted by age and then gender, with the children sitting in the first section. They looked wellfed and some of them were playing which was a good sign for Kirk. He would not want buy from a man who mistreated his possessions.

The Orion was pleased to notify Kirk's gaze over the women slaves. One woman in particular caught the Captain's eyes. "We have a special bargain today." the Orion said casually. "Each Bajoran sells for only 2400 federation ducats." He took care not to meet the eyes of the human. 

Kirk sighed. One part of him would love to buy her, but another part knew it would never do, and not just as a bodyguard. He was lonely, but he could only really love a partner who sought him by his own free will. He shook his head slightly and followed the Orion to the men's section.

"Go ahead and have a look around, Sir. Most of these creatures will meet your expectations. You may ask me any question about them, too. However, I would not recommend the Klingon as a bodyguard because they tend to put the honor of an heroic death above their lives."

Kirk nodded and examined approximately twenty males from different planets. Some were heavily built, with shaped muscles and the eradiating power of a restrained warrior. His casual gaze stopped when his eyes fell on a slim humanoid with pointed ears and arching eyebrows that sat in the corner with a certain fatalistic touch to his appearance. When their eyes met, the dark ones of the slave didn't even blink, but the face was frozen in stoic calmness.

Kirk searched his mind without finding the answer, and finally asked the vendor: "The humanoid with the pointed ears, what species is that?"

The Orion replied: "That is a Vulcan."

Kirk was excited. He had never encountered Vulcans, and that was because few existed today. Their world had been overtaken by the Orions some two thousand years ago, and since then they had try to expel the foreign forces several times, without much effect besides a dramatic loss of population. Vulcans had a reputation for being strong and capable of difficult tasks, so the Orions had tried to breed them in different ways for selling, but the Vulcans' resistance had been hard to overcome. The few left were a very expensive commodity...

"That creature is the result of an experiment in which we intermixed Vulcan and Terran genes to try and reduce the Vulcan stubbornness."

"And it didn't work," Kirk stated, extrapolating the outcome from the undertones of the Orion's sentence. 

"No. He is weaker and slower, has a lower intelligence and is rather more bull-headed than the average Vulcan male."

The stoicity of the Vulcan made Kirk wonder. "Do they ever laugh?"

"They had sworn an oath that they would never laugh until their planet was free again. And they also swore to keep themselves alive for that fateful day they would revolt and free themselves." The Orion laughed maliciously. "Not that they'll ever succeed..."

"Well, that sounds good for my needs," Kirk said with a hint of disapproval of the Orion's behavior in his voice. The Orion made a dismissing wave of the hand.

"Since this was only an experiment, he has not been trained in the usual way, but has only minor knowledge of martial arts and science. Of course, that means his prize will be considerably lower than the one I would demand for a true Vulcan." It was clear that the Orion didn't see the Vulcan fit for what Kirk needed, but if the human would want to spend money on him nevertheless, he would not get in his way.

"What'll it be?" Kirk asked and at once realized he had made a mistake by asking for the prize before even really examining the goods. It only showed that he was way too interested in this one, so he added: "Show him off first."

The Orion went to the corner and freed the slave from the ankle chain with which all slaves were connected. The Vulcan's movement were fluid and showed a hidden strength as he followed the Orion with his eyes to the floor.

Finally the slave stood before Kirk, and the Orion pulled away the loose tunic to reveal the Vulcan's naked body underneath.

Kirk swallowed hard. Where normally the genitals of any male humanoid could be found, there was simply nothing left... 

"He's... completely... castrated?"

The Orion nodded. "The Vulcans once were a warrior race, and it took us long to discover how to suppress their aggressive nature. Now, every male that is not selected for breeding will be gelded and - like the females - silenced by the age of ten. These handicaps make them more obedient."

"Silenced?" Kirk inquired, trying to hold down a foreboding feeling of nausea.

"The vocal chords are cut," the Orion explained indifferently.

"You mean, you turn the whole native population of a planet into sexless, speechless... creatures?" Kirk was taken aback and ashamed. He didn't want buy this Vulcan anymore, it would mean to support this unbelievingly cruel behavior of the Orions. Slave trade was always a dirty business, but this was a new level of ferocity.

The Orion defended himself. "The main market for them is harem's guard, and for this purpose eunuchs suit best. In earlier times we cut the tongue, but nowadays only the vocal chords, because the customers demanded the possibility to use them as pleasure slaves..." His voice died off as he saw the open abhorrence in the human's eyes.

Suddenly the Vulcan raised his head and met Kirk's eyes. His eyes were dark black and with a depth Kirk had rarely seen in an humanoid, and what lay inside of them was an open adjuration. Kirk stared back, his thoughts racing in his mind. He would rescue this Vulcan by buying him, though not now, not after showing his obvious and heart-felt disgust...

"I have to go," he forced himself to say, and turned away, feeling the gaze of the Vulcan burning in his back as he sped for the exit.

Two days later the Vulcan was bought by a unpleasant, talkative man. He paid the price of 5000 FD without discussion, and left for the transporter facilities, pulling the chained slave behind him. 

The Vulcan closed his eyes as they dematerialized. Kaiidth, he would have to survive, whatever was to come.

When he opened his eyes again, the rush of happiness on the sight of the blond, fair man mirrored on his face for a second, before he could control himself.

"Welcome aboard," Kirk said, smiling.

Thus Spock of Vulcan became Kirk's shadow.

***

The linking devices were implanted a week later by the ship surgeon McCoy. Kirk had spent all his spare time with his new possession, feeling the inner need to please this mutilated man, as if he had to repay for the cruelty of the Orions and the overly tolerant (or rather: ignorant) Federation that would allow something like that happen to a neighboring species without intervening. 

At first he had been irritated by the silence that hung between them, only interrupted if he himself spoke, what gave him the feeling of endless soliloquies. Later thought he found out that the silence was not menacing, but in truth peaceful. He had introduced Spock, the name the slave had written down when asked for one, to his favorite game of Chess, and the Vulcan had learned it easily, beating him already in one out of three matches. The many hours spent on the chessboard gave Kirk a lot of time to study the features of the Vulcan, and he began to see through the mask of stoicity and to read the many small signs of emotions the stern man displayed.

He had also arranged a test with the leader of the security department to have checked the level of the Vulcan's combat arts, and was pleased to hear that though the Vulcan may be under-averaged concerning his fellows, he was well-trained compared to humans. It had given him some pain to think about the potential this strong and intelligent race would have had, had it not been for the Orions...

"Can't you do anything about his vocal chords," Kirk once again asked McCoy after the operation, and looked through the window of his friend's bureau out to the medical bed where the slim body of the Vulcan lay.

McCoy shrugged and said with an apologetic note: "I have done some research, but they are not only cut in youth but also chemically cauterized. There is almost no material available on Vulcans in whole, and he isn't even purely Vulcan, but a singular exemplar with a body chemistry of his own. Because of that I see no way to repair the damage. And none of the available biomechanical implants will work here, either. But I will do some more research, and perhaps we will find a solution in the future." 

Kirk nodded sadly and turned his back to the window and sat down at the desk again. 

McCoy knew that the story wore on Kirk, and offered one of his special medicines by reaching into the closet behind him and fetching the brandy bottle.

"Have a drink, Jim."

Kirk didn't decline, and after their small cheers swallowed it in one single gulp.

McCoy refilled the cup without a word, and it was only after the third glass that Kirk looked more relieved again.

"You like him?" McCoy asked casually.

"I do... and I feel I own him something." Kirk admitted.

McCoy sat back in his chair and took a sip of his brandy. He hadn't missed the fact that Jim never articulated the name of his slave, but referred to the man rather as "he" and "him".

"You cannot make the harm undone, Jim. The Vulcans are a dying race, the estimates are that in a hundred years the gene pool will be too small to even breed them even the way the Orions try."

"I have read the reports of the intelligence, too" Kirk replied placating, his eyes fixed on his right hand that rotated the yellow liquid in the glass

"But perhaps I can at least make his life a bit more worthwhile."

"By convicting him to death in case you would die?" McCoy's plain words penetrated Kirk's conscience like a spear, and it wasn't as if he had not re-thought this action, but he needed the bodyguard badly and had seen no alternative, as he told McCoy now.

"Bullshit," McCoy replied bluntly, "if you care for him, I bet he would have been a protective guard also without the death capsule. You're not sure about him, and thus manhandle him just like the Orions did - as property, as a thing which you can avail for your needs." 

Kirk felt the rise of anger and guilt. "My decision is not open for discussion," he stated sternly.

"Very well, SIR," McCoy replied, and the title sounded like an insult, opening a huge gap between them, "I will not offer advice on this topic anymore."

Kirk swallowed the rest of the drink hastily and went up. "I'm going to the bridge. Sent him there, when he is fit again."

McCoy sighed. Kirk's tendency to see himself as the savior of the universe, a crossover between Robin Hood and Superman, while embedded into a fleet and society where the morals were not up to these standards, sometimes lead Kirk to exceedingly double-think actions like this one.

He shook his head and stood up, stretching his cramped shoulders. Personally he was glad that Jim for once in his life really had thought about his security and taken a bodyguard, and had found one with which he even might befriend himself - if the Vulcan would allowed this. 

***

First Officer Myers entered the turbolift and when he felt the movement downwards, he swore loudly. The silent, stern, unmoved alien that followed Kirk everywhere for two weeks got on his nerves and made him increasingly tense and aggressive. Whenever he looked into the alien's dark eyes, he felt like being pierced by this gaze, his thoughts open to this man who was doomed to watch over Kirk's life to save his own.

It was not unusual for a Captain to have a personal guard, but none in the Fleet had ever had a Vulcan for this, and Myers had been unsettled by the spare characterizations he could find in the ship's databank concerning this species. Stronger, faster, and with a finer hearing than humans, plus sharper eyes especially in the shadows and darkness, and with a sense of resistance even after two thousand years of suppression and slavery. If this man were eager to see Kirk alive, it would be difficult to get around him. 

The only weakness he could detect was that the Vulcan didn't sleep in Kirk's quarter, but in the room next to his. It seemed like Kirk was giving him a bit of privacy, something Myers found ridiculous, but helpful in this case. He had to succeed before their arrival on earth, meaning till the end of the next month, where the end of their first five-years-mission was scheduled. If Kirk would be dead, Myers would earn the praises and honors, raising into the High Command quickly. It didn't matter if most of the crew were on Kirk's side - if the Captain was dead, everyone would simply look to be on the safe side. 

Myers of course wouldn't make the move himself, but had two loyal helpers assigned with this task, while he was on his way to the arranged alibi on the recreation deck. He stepped out of the lift and went for the table where the players were already waiting for him.

"Please take a seat," Lt. Barn smiled invitingly, and he was pleased by the prospect of sitting next to her the whole evening. Perhaps, if his men would succeed in the assassination, she might prove even more friendly to the new Captain than to the First Officer...

Kirk lay in a dreamless sleep, relaxed by the knowledge of the Vulcan sitting in the other room. He had long since found out that his guarding angel could go for three days without sleep, and would meditate in his free time, so he had given him the undisturbed space of the aligning cabin to do this, with the door between the rooms left ajar. Some members of his bridge crew probably saw that as ridiculous, but Kirk had never had the intention to share his little cabin with somebody else, except perhaps that non-existing lover of his fantasies. And he had absolute no intention to coerce his sexual needs on the man next door, who would have no choice but submitting himself to the Captain's wishes. Kirk had begun to cherish the small plant of friendship that was rising between them, although he was not sure what the Vulcan really thought about him, since he never showed any open emotions. Kirk could only hope that the relaxation and peace that he felt in the company of this silent man was shared by him. 

The small hiss of the door hadn't yet made it to his consciousness, but he awoke to the sounds of a struggle that filled the room, and a body heavily fell on Kirk, robbing him of air. After dismissing the first feeling of shock that was caused by his sleepy disorientation, he found that the body was lifeless, and only seconds later the lights went on, displaying the Vulcan who now stood in the blazing light, holding a second man in his strong grip.

Kirk freed himself from the limp body by shoving it to the floor, and got up. He had expected an assault, although not in the night. Obviously someone had underestimated the vigilance of his guard, supposing that he would not hear the attack. That had been a fault, and when he examined the lifeless man, he saw that he was dead indeed.

"You broke his neck?" Kirk asked the Vulcan, who slightly bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Intentionally?" Kirk inquired, and now the Vulcan shook his head and raised his free hand in a apologizing gesture. 

"Well," Kirk muttered and gazed at the second man, "at least we have one to interrogate," and went for the comm unit to summon up security staff.

When he turned around, he suddenly saw the green liquid on the floor, and his eyes followed the stream up till he realized that it was caused by a knife stab in the Vulcan's shoulder that seemed to have damaged a bigger artery.

"Why didn't you tell me," Kirk said angrily and inwardly kicked himself only a second later because of this stupid remark - the Vulcan could not simply tell him, of course. In a painful hint of shame he also called for McCoy. 

The Vulcan waited unmoved, holding the second man securely until the guards arrived.

"Throw him in the brig with special guards and don't tell anybody at the moment. I will take care of him tomorrow morning," Kirk said, and just they left through the door when McCoy arrived.

"Hi Jim. Are you wounded?"

"No, Bones, but he is," Kirk waved to the Vulcan who still stood in the middle of the room while a small puddle of blood was forming at his feet.

"Shit," McCoy said and told the Vulcan to lie down on the bed and gave him first aid. Finally he rose to his feet.

"He has to come to sickbay with me for further treatment."

"Of course," Kirk nodded. 

"Won't you come with us, Jim?" McCoy asked while helping the wounded Vulcan up. 

"I would rather stay here. It is unlikely that tonight there will be a second assault, and I will change the door codes now, of course."

He looked into two disapproving faces, and suddenly felt relaxed and warm. Nobody could harm him easily anymore, with now two friends watching over him. At least he hoped that the Vulcan's concern was not only governed by the thought of his own survival...

"I see, you two have allied. Ok, I give in. But we will not walk to sickbay." Kirk made the necessary calls and smiled faintly when he gave the order. "Energize." 

***

Although Kirk knew that his bodyguard was next to his door, even more alert than the weeks before, he was a bit restless. The Vulcan's training in combat and defense arts would have to be boosted, but he was reluctant to be without his presence longer than absolutely necessarily. The dates on the calendar reminded him daily, that if Myers, who unfortunately couldn't have been directly connected with the tried assassination, would want to have another go, he would have to hurry.

Offshaking his troubles he concentrated at the chess board again, only to find that his opponent had made an unexpected move that would turn him into a checkmate soon, if he could not find a way out of this trap.

The dark eyes of the Vulcan fixed on him, and as if he had sensed Kirk's previous thoughts, he suddenly wrote something on his padd and gave it to over to the human.

"The training schedule with my combat partner is increasingly difficult to arrange with my duty. He has suggested that your own experience in this field would be adequate for the purpose of further training." 

Kirk grinned at these carefully chosen words, and considered the idea for some seconds. Of course, that was the most logical solution to his problem. Sports has always made him relaxed, and he found himself looking forward to the sparring with his bodyguard.

"I accept your proposal," Kirk said.

Their first meeting on the mat proved to be a real challenge to Kirk, who hadn't trained as much as he should have over the last years, and it left him bruised and with several strained muscles, although the Vulcan had been careful to avoid any real danger.

"Hell, I'm in a bad shape," Kirk muttered while gasping for breath when Spock had forced him down once again after a hard fight. The lips of the Vulcan twitched slightly, underlining Kirk's rating, and Kirk swore to himself that within a week he would be the one to hold this man down. He simply hated to be physically beaten in a contest, it brought back all the fears of being inferior that he had fought down his whole life. But it was this struggle that had pushed him to be the most successful Captain in the fleet.

The Vulcan stood up and released him, bowing his head in the gesture of a winner who at least acknowledged the honorable attempts of his weaker opponent, and Kirk frowned. 

"Don't forget what you are," he said condescendingly, and the previously relaxed face of the Vulcan turned to stone. Their gaze met and Kirk felt shame and anger rising. It was not reasonable to have a slave as friend, who was only connected to him by force and the threat of a device that would cost him his life if Kirk should die. His crew was already talking about their "relationship", a sure indication that they believed him to have not only a sexual, but also a romantic connection with the Vulcan. It would endanger and weaken his position in the long run. 

"The training is over for today. Get prepared for the bridge." Kirk ordered the Vulcan away, who turned and went off with straightened back and upraised head, and Kirk knew he would have to teach his slave a lesson... 

***

It took Kirk a week before he could realize that teaching a lesson to the Vulcan only taught himself that he was already addicted to and dependant on his company. Without their hours spent in silent games of chess, only rarely broken by Kirk telling stories of his home or his adventures, he felt empty and lonely.

The Vulcan had endured the fall of status without any outward reaction, but simply had withdrawn himself into his deepest shell again, acting like a living puppet. He sat on the floor of his room in deep meditation whenever he was not needed, and otherwise followed Kirk as it was his duty, but without giving the supporting and protecting presence he had given before. The bridge crew felt the difference. Thus, Myers' hope for another, more successful assault on Kirk rose again.

Kirk stood in the bathroom he shared with his bodyguard, and his gaze fell through the door into the other room where the Vulcan was meditating. His pain made his stomach cringe. Why had he demolished the soothing friendship with this silent, unobtrusive man, who entered his dreams now almost every night? Kirk's want for a touch, for a kiss from him was becoming overwhelming, but he would not enforce himself on this man, never. Instead he would try to fix whatever could be fixed in their friendship. He would cross the unspoken border...

He entered the Vulcan's room and sat down on the floor, opposite to the absorbed man.

"Spock," Kirk said, and the name he had never dared to speak aloud hung in the air, making the Vulcan open his eyes in astonishment. 

"I want to apologize for my shameful and unjustified behavior in the sports room. I hate to loose a fight, but I had no right to be angry with you just because you won."

He swallowed hard.

"I used my position against you, shoving aside what had built up between us in the last weeks, only to find that you have become a constant in my life."

The Vulcan still sat unmoved, waiting for more, and Kirk felt an rising fear.

"I could order you to be part of my life again, make you play chess with me and work out with me in the recreation room, but that would not repair anything. What I miss is your friendship, and all I can do is to tell you how much I regret my action and to ask forgiveness from you, and hope that you give me another chance." 

Kirk held his hands up in a gesture of plea. The silence that rose after his words was thick and suffocating, and they sat there for a seemingly endless time before the Vulcan finally made his move. The sensual touch of his fingers in the palms of the human made Kirk shiver and closing his eyes, wallowing in the feeling of relief. When he opened them again, he fetched a glimpse of a smile on the face of the Vulcan - of Spock. He had his friend back.

"Care for a sparring, Spock?" he said with a lightheartedness he didn't really feel yet, and Spock nodded in acknowledgement.

***

Myers watched the Captain and his guard from a distance. They worked out now every day, and it could easily be seen that their behavior had changed back to their friendly, easy-going relationship. Kirk simply couldn't hold the distance, Myers judged. He wondered if and how he could use that against Kirk. It was not forbidden to like one's slave, but it was highly frowned upon to develop a romantic relationship. "Fuck it, but don't love it," the proverb ran, and the choice of the neuter pronoun was intentionally. If he could prove that they were really lovers, Myers might be able to damage Kirk's position within Starfleetx, although that would not gain him the instant reward of promotion like an assassination would do. The hero Kirk would be hard to approach...

Myers went out into the corridor. It was worth another try, he decided, but this time he had to make sure that Kirk's never-sleeping shadow was not in the way, and that was a hard thing to achieve. No one but Kirk had any rights upon the Vulcan, thus he could not simply be ordered away. He remembered the report on the Vulcans' oath to keep themselves alive until they could free their world again, and he wondered if an information on a Vulcan uproar would lead the slave to disregard his duty. It was worth a try, too. Myers smiled as he made his way to the turbolift, crossing McCoy's way there.

"Hello, folks," McCoy greeted Jim and Spock cheerily, as he went into the room. They just had finished, and Jim was relieved that he had succeeded into outplaying Spock at least two times, although his arm hurt heavily. 

McCoy didn't miss the hint of pain in Jim's face, when the Captain replied with a forced smile "Hi, Bones. What's up?"

McCoy fetched for his tricorder and ran it over Kirk's arm, affirming Kirk's unspoken assumption. "The sinew is ripped. Come with me to sickbay, it is easily healed." Kirk sighed.

"Very well. Just let us change dress."

Spock followed Kirk automatically, and McCoy could see how he helped Jim to undress and change into his uniform. Once again he wondered how deep the relationship between Jim and his shadow really was. He didn't have the guts up till now to ask about it, but since this connection could easily be the Achilles Heel of Kirk's future career, he would have to talk with Kirk soon. The expression on Myers' face had been much more relieved than McCoy had liked...

In sickbay McCoy ushered the Vulcan to get a checkup. Since they had no data on Vulcans, he was interested to get more information on their biology. Soon, there might be no more possibility for this, McCoy thought sadly. When the scanners did their work on the man, McCoy showed Kirk to his office.

"Wasn't this the wrong sequence?" Kirk asked with clenched teeth, because the pain became increasingly unpleasant.

"I wanted to talk to you alone," McCoy replied, and used his equipment on Kirk's arm. 

"I guessed that much," Kirk said dryly, thankful for the hypo that took effect at once.

"What's the problem?"

"I saw Myers coming from the direction of the rec room, and he looked way too pleased with himself."

Kirk frowned. The peaceful last weeks had lulled him a bit, but now he looked concerned. It was only one more week before they were back to Earth, increasing the likeliness for a final assault on him. 

"Well, as long as Spock's protecting me, he won't have a chance."

"That's my next concern," McCoy said.

"Spock?"

"Yes, your slave," McCoy said voluntarily, and saw the next frown in Kirk's features, making the doctor aiming for his goal and shooting the arrow.

"Are you in love with him?" There was nothing like a straight attack on Kirk, if one wanted to get an open answer.

Kirk flushed and hesitated, looking for the appropriate words.

"He... means a lot to me."

"And...?"

"No 'and', " Kirk replied sternly. "I would never impose myself on Spock. I am glad to have him as my friend. That's enough for me."

McCoy scanned Kirk's arm for a final checkup. "Your friend? Your attitude to him has changed a lot since our last talk here, when you couldn't even say his name."

"You got a problem with that?" Kirk asked, looking up at McCoy with a dangerous flicker in his eyes.

"Yes, I do. Look, this will weaken your position in the fleet," McCoy said, meeting the gaze.

Kirk shrugged. "We do not bed each other, so there is no way to prove anything. He is my possession, and I can handle him as I want. I don't want to marry him, after all."

"You don't know if your relationship hasn't steered up sleeping dogs already. When we come back, you'll be the acclaimed hero of the fleet, and this surely will cause a lot of hurt feelings and jealousy in SF Command."

"That could happen in any case. I will not change my behavior to Spock in any way." Kirk looked as stubborn as he could, and McCoy gave up.

"Ok, Jim. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Bones, one more thing," Kirk held his friend back who just wanted to leave the office. "I want you to remove the death capsules."

McCoy slowly nodded. "You're sure?"

"I am. It doesn't feel right any longer. Let's fix a day and time for this task."

McCoy went around his desk again and looked at the screen of his computer.

"Tomorrow afternoon, 1700?"

Kirk nodded. "Thanks Bones. For everything." He left the office to fetch Spock for the bridge, and McCoy looked after them, more concerned than ever.

***

The next morning Kirk felt the restless anticipation of the day. He couldn't give Spock his freedom at the moment, but he could remove their linked devices. He hoped that the Vulcan would appreciate the intention behind this action. 

"Care for a sparring, Spock?" he announced into the other room with the words that had already became a habit.

Two knocks on the wall were enough of a reply, and although Spock had never declined, Kirk had needed to give him the possibility of a "no". If Spock would ever have knocked only once, Kirk would have accepted it, but he was glad for every morning where this didn't happen.

They went into the small empty recreation room they had scheduled for themselves in the morning hours, and after a warm-up they started with a friendly fighting. Spock fought in his usual relaxed but controlled way which Kirk both loved and feared, because Spock disguised an extremely challenging opponent under his casual movements. 

It wasn't long till they lay on the mat again, and Spock held Kirk firmly down, who struggled uselessly against the strength of his friend. Kirk suddenly realized that he was aroused, his growing organ pressing into Spock's abdomen. He flushed in shame, but when he looked into the Vulcan's eyes, he detected an unusual flicker in their dark depths.

And then Spock's head bowed down and hot lips met cold ones.

Kirk gasped in astonishment and fought against his overwhelming emotions, not wanting to reveal his needs to the Vulcan of whom he had been so sure that he would never want this...

Spock changed his weight slightly and held Kirk down now with only one hand, while his other one carefully touched his friend's forehead.

Kirk was struck by the electric sparkle that went right through his brain, and in the first second he wanted to resist to what felt like an intruder till he heard the words.

// Relax, Jim. //

// You can talk to me...? // Kirk knew that Spock could not talk to him, but the words were clear enough.

// My mind touches yours, Jim. You hear my thoughts. //

// It is wonderful... then your voice... ? ...the Orions... // Kirk was full of questions.

// They did not understand that our physical voices are not important to us. I will be alone in silence only when there will be no other of my race left. //

// You are all connected? // Kirk realized that he had underestimated the Vulcans as much as the Orions had done.

// We are, and we have worked on the perfection of our minds for decades. Soon we will all stand up and fight again. //

// But why did you wait for so long? // Kirk's mind could not understand how a species could sacrifice so many generations by letting them go into slavery.

// It was a long way, even by the scale of my folk. We could not achieve it faster. // Spock's mind showed a hint of the pain that the Vulcans had memorized in their eidetic, collective memory since two thousand years.

// I am so glad that your folk has a future... // Kirk's mind said, and the warmth of a smile went through their connection.

// I know, Jim. And I appreciate this. // 

Kirk's mind felt his arousal start again, somehow triggered by the closeness to the wonderful mind of Spock.

// Why do you fight your desires? // Spock's mind inquired calmly.

// I never wanted to impose myself on you... you couldn't choose. // Kirk's guilt was sharp.

// But I can, Jim. My mind is free, and my choices are mine alone in this regard. And I choose you. //

// I... appreciate // Kirk's mind couldn't form any more sophisticated remarks, being in a state of speechlessness that was far beyond any physical restraints.

When Spock slowly started to withdraw from the mind-meld, it felt for Kirk like being left into an unbearable loneliness again, and he fought against it.

// Shhh... I will not leave you forever. Our contact forms a connection that will stay for a while...//

// For how long? // Kirk's thoughts held a firm grip on Spock's mind. 

// Now only for a few hours, but we can form another bond that will hold on longer // Spock's mind answered.

// But now we have to leave this mind-meld, otherwise it might become dangerous since your mind is not trained.//

After several more assuring thoughts Kirk finally allowed Spock to close the connection, and when the human opened his eyes, he saw the smile on the Vulcan's face through the watered screen of his eyes that fogged his view.

"I love you," Kirk said, and the Vulcan bowed his head, smiling in wordless acknowledgement. 

"Let's go to the bridge," Kirk finally said, and they prepared themselves for another shift, now in the calm and secure emotions of their sharing.

***

Myers walked back and forth in the empty corridor before engineering, nervously waiting for the feedback of his helper. He had spent more time organizing this assault than he had with the previous ones. This time no mistake was allowed - Kirk had to die, and if Kirk would die, his shadow would, too. Two for the price of one, he thought grinning, and once more looked at his watch. 

Now his envoy would talk to the Vulcan, announcing an urgent, secret message from his homeworld. And then...

The comm unit chirped, and Myers instantly replied the call.

"Myers here"

"Pardon me Sir, but he's not in his cabin."

"And the Captain?"

"Neither."

Myers' brain weighted the different possibilities, before answering.

"Dismissed."

Kirk and his shadow were not in their quarters. Where could they be? It would be too obvious if he made the bridge crew scan the ship for Vulcan life signs. Why not try a blind shoot, he thought, and called shipwide for Captain Kirk. When McCoy answered it, he knew enough. His lame made-up story about a small meteorite of unknown composition was answered with a "not today - talk to him tomorrow", and the doctor switched off. A smile traveled over Myers features. They were in sickbay. And that was an easy place to get them. He could even do this one himself. 

On his way there he mused what had put them there - perhaps another sport casualty. But it didn't matter in the end. The small Klingon disrupter he had smuggled on board already months ago would finally come in handy today... 

McCoy switched off the comm unit and frowned. A shipwide call because of a meteorite? Did that bastard think they were that stupid? Myers would be the prime suspect in any official hearing, and probably lose his command at once, but then again he could be mad, and that made him extremely dangerous.

He went out of his office and into the restricted area, where Jim and Spock slept soundly. The implanting of the devices was easy, but the removing was hard work, and it had taken the med team two hours to get them out plus an extra half hour for Spock because of his unusual biology - funny to find a heart where a liver was to be expected.

He decided that he would wake only the Vulcan, whose life readings were looking more healthy, at least concerning to his standards, and he was trained better to fend off an attack.

"Spock," he whispered and touched the hand of the Vulcan who instantly awoke.

"We have a problem. Myers has cracked up and is on his way to sickbay to kill Kirk off."

The Vulcan nodded, got out of bed and fetched his clothes. They made their way in silence into the main area. While getting dressed, the Vulcan made a inquiring gesture, indicating a phaser, and McCoy shrugged.

"I don't know if he is armed, but I would suspect that much. And if you ask me whether we have any weapons here - no, we don't. This is sickbay, and I'm a doctor, not a trooper. But we should at least let Myers proceed till the point where we have enough evidence to get him before the court-martial for intended murder this time. And we should hurry, because he's on his way already."

The Vulcan nodded again and looked around in the dimly lit sickbay. He could see perfectly in these surroundings, and thought about the possible actions of Myers and the most logical defenses. There were three doors, but to get through to the area where Kirk was lying the attacker had to go through a passage. He would hide there. It was dangerously near the Captain, but...

The door opened, and they only just had time to hide, before Myers entered the room. His dark figure stood unmoved when the door had closed again, and he was obviously listening for sounds. Spock could see the small device ins Myers's hands whose design was unknown to him, but what had to be something like a phaser. Since he couldn't contact McCoy who was kneeling behind another of the med beds, he decided to do this on his own. When Myers walked, the Vulcan used the noises to disguise his own fluid movements through the room, intending to meet the Officer when he was at the narrow passage.

Myers stopped suddenly, and the Vulcan stopped a heartbeat later - too late, it seemed. Myers' eyes traveled over the silent sickbay, and suddenly it was clear to Myers that although McCoy's office was lit on the other end of it, it was empty. The medical officer was hiding here, but that wouldn't help him, Myers thought grimly. He was fed up with all three of them, and he would love to kill them slowly with his disruptor...

As if this had summoned up the intended victim, Kirk suddenly appeared in the passage, not realizing in his yawning and the relative darkness that the man that stood before him wasn't McCoy. Spock wanted to shout, but not a word was leaving his mouth, and for the first time in the last years he felt helplessness crushing on him. There was only one last chance, and so he stood up and jumped over the long distance like a panther, trying to distract the disruptor shot while it was fired at Kirk. He was too late again, and succeeded only in averting a part of the shot by pushing the disruptor in direction of the wall, before he fell down with Myers and rolled over with him on the floor. Kirk had been hit and collapsed as if in slow motion, the smell of burned flesh filling the room.

Spock had no problem holding down Myers once he had overpowered him. He shoved the weapon aside, and the human looked at him in astonishment when he realized the truth.

"The devices are offline!"

The Vulcan didn't react, but simply looked down on the man, and the darkness hid the mixture of hate and despair that showed up in his eyes.

"He's dead and you're free, don't you see?" Myers yelled at him as he struggled against the Vulcan's iron grip. "I will be the captain now. Be my guard, and we can make it together."

In the stony face of the Vulcan Myers suddenly saw another truth.

"You were lovers, weren't you? This faggot fucked your tight little ass, and you sucked his cock off because that's all you can do, isn't it? I have read the reports, and the Orions have surely done a throughout job on you fucking Vulcans..."

The grip on his hands tightened, but all of Myers' hate that had built up inside of him over the last weeks spilled out then. 

"You're nothing but a ready-for-fuck dumb little gelding. Did it hurt when they cut it off? Did they do it like they do it with sheep on Earth, pulling a wire around? Or did they do it with a single cut from a knife?"

Spock took a deep breath in an unsuccessful effort to control his rising anger, and Myers laughed derisively.

"So this is what is left from a warrior race, sissies swinging their asses around starships captains..."

Spock rose, hoisting the human up with him and releasing him. His fists were clenched and his intention clear.

Myers chuckled. "You wanna fight?"

McCoy came up behind him and pulled his arm. "Spock, what the hell..."

The Vulcan shoved the human harshly aside into the direction of the fallen Captain, and his glance was an open warning against further interference.

McCoy clenched his teeth but decided that helping Kirk was the best thing he could do now, so he went hastily to the limp body of his friend and started to search for lifesigns.

Myers fixed his eyes on his opponent. The Vulcan was stronger than he was, but he was also angrier than he had ever seen him. Myers hoped this would give him an advantage...

Within minutes the officer found out that he had grossly misjudged the situation - the well-trained Vulcan was beating him merciless through sickbay, and finally cornered him and pushed his fist into the human's face with all his might.

Myers collapsed into unconsciousness under the hit, and Spock caught the falling body and aimed for the one stroke that would break the neck of this honorless human, sentencing him to instant death in the ancient way of Vulcan...

"Spock!" Kirk's voice was weak but hearable, and relief went through Spock like a wave, stopping his movement in mid-air.

"He's not worth it..."

The Vulcan took a deep breath, and a second one, before he finally lowered the unconscious human down to the floor and went over to Kirk.

Kirk's face was pale and the widespread wound on his chest where the disruptor had burned the uniform and the flesh together in a clotted red mess made Spock wince. He enfolded the cold hand of his friend and owner, trying to comfort him with a touch of his mind.

// He cannot insult us. He is not worth our regard. // Kirk half thought, half voiced the words, struggling with a profound weakness that spread through his body.

// You are right. I regret my behavior, and I am glad you stopped me. // 

"You're welcome," Kirk whispered and passed out with a small smile on his lips.

***

Kirk's injury was heavy enough for him to stay in sickbay for the next days, while Myers was in confinement, being checked for his mental health. As far as McCoy saw it, the man would never be court-martialled - a good thing concerning the accusations he would have made about the Captain, which might have damaged Kirk's reputation even when uttered by a convicted assassin. But nobody believes the words of a certified lunatic...

Spock sat beside Kirk night and day, protecting him like a mother, as McCoy put it, who was inwardly glad that the Vulcan did such a thorough job. He also saw that Kirk had recovered faster than he expected, and suspected that Spock had something to do with this, but when asking him he didn't get an answer.

"He's hiding something, Jim," McCoy finally said to Kirk when the Vulcan was away to fetch some special food for Kirk from the kitchen.

The smile on Kirk's face told him enough. 

"You both are hiding something from me, I see."

"Don't take it personally, Bones," Kirk said and fetched the hand of his friend.

McCoy smiled, too. "Are you happy, Jim?"

"I am - we are."

"That's fine. Tomorrow morning I will release you. You'll need that time to shave and jump into your gala uniform for our return to Earth."

"Thank you, Dr. McCoy," Kirk said dryly, "a grand entrance on an antigrav litter would have surely spoiled the intended media effect."

"Aren't I a nice guy," McCoy grinned broadly. "And I will tell you a secret - brandy is not counter-indicated for your healing process."

"Thanks Bones, I'd love to have a glass of your special brand."

When Spock returned with a tablet of food, he found the doctor and Jim sitting and chatting with each holding a glass of alcohol in his hand. He slightly frowned, and McCoy laughed.

"Pardon me, motherhen."

Kirk's lips twitched. "Spock would probably think that the intake of drugs is illogical."

"You can read his mind?" McCoy asked mockingly.

"Kind of," Kirk replied evasive and swallowed the drink.

"Hmmm so that's up?" McCoy looked from Kirk's averted gaze to the Vulcan who was placing the tablet on the side table and looking as stoic as ever. 

Finally he shrugged. "None of my business. You both know what you do, I would say." And he lifted his glass in a small cheer "To our return to earth", and Kirk and McCoy drank to his words.

***

Their return was glorious, and Kirk was so heavily engaged in meetings and formal receptions that it took him five days before he could escape to his anonymous apartment in San Francisco. Spock had gone there to prepare everything for his arrival, thus Kirk looked forward to finally be alone with the Vulcan, and to turning all the erotic fantasies he had dreamt about in the last weeks into reality...

When he entered, he could smell home-cooked food. 

"Spock, you can cook?" he said when he saw his friend stay in the small, rarely used kitchen.

"Tell me - what can't you do?" he joked and then the feeling of shame was rushing over him. He had worked so hard to banish those stupid remarks from his brain, but every now and then they resurfaced...

The Vulcan fetched his hands and in Kirk's mind the words formed themselves.

// I would rather show you some yet undiscovered abilities. //

He kissed the soft lips of the human and started to open the uniform.

"Not here," Kirk muttered and pulled the Vulcan out of the kitchen and into the bedroom, where they both removed their clothes hastily and started exploring each other by kissing and touching their bare bodies.

"You're beautiful," Kirk finally said, placing Spock on arm's length away, and his gaze traveled down the body of his beloved Vulcan, when it fell on the mutilated genitals. He swallowed hard. He had repressed this memory, so now he felt like his own pulsing cock was an insult to Spock...

The electric touch on his face made him moan.

// Stop feeling guilty, Jim. There is nothing you can do about it. Besides, I love to handle your cock. //

Spock's mind was teasing him openly, while his hands caressed the hard organ, making the human shivering in anticipation.

"Oh god, that's great, touch me, my body, my mind," the human whispered, and was taken by the strong arms of the Vulcan who carried him into the bed. 

// I will do this, beloved one. //

The mouth of the Vulcan met Kirk's, and then he made his way to the nipples, over the stomach and down to the cock. The rasp tongue traveled over the glans, and the Vulcan started to suck and swallow Kirk's cock, stopping whenever the human was near his climax, which made Kirk begging for release in the end.

The Vulcan slowly licked the standing cock and stroke the loosely hanging sack. He could feel every single pleasure of Jim through their connection, and he loved to turn him crazy...

"Now, Spock," Kirk gasped, and Spock gave in and pushed him over the limit by just another touch with his lips, swallowing the tasty yellish liquid that was ejected. 

Kirk was twitching in spasms for several seconds, before his head fell into the cushion and he gasped for breath.

"Spock..." Kirk finally said, and the Vulcan climbed up and placed himself next to the cool body.

// Yes, Jim? //

Kirk closed his eyes and concentrated on their connection.

// I want to please you, but I am not sure how to do it. //

Spock's mind laughed.

// You are a typical humanoid male, Jim Kirk. Much too much centered around a single point of pleasure. //

// What do you mean? // Kirk's mind asked back, feeling inexperienced and inadequate.

// I can achieve climax in several ways. //

// But how...? //

// You ask two things, Jim. How I can reach it and what will happen. Why not go for an experiment, beloved one? //

Spock lay back and closed his eyes. His body rested on the bed relaxed and invitingly, and Kirk kissed the smooth skin from the throat down to the abdomen and then up again. On every point he tested the response, and finally settled for the greenish nipples that stood up against the flat chest of the Vulcan. He began to suck on the right one, and when he found that Spock was responding to this action, he started to caress the other one, going into a rhythm that turned Spock's breathing increasingly forced and unsteady. Sweat started to show up above his upper lip, which vibrated almost invisible. Kirk simply went on with his touches, and the trembling crawled over the whole body now. Kirk stopped for a moment, taking a bit of revenge on his lover for his former torture.

// Please, do not stop, Jim... //

The pleas were very arousing, Kirk had to admit, so why go fast when he could take it slow...

He caressed the nipples again, but now alternately and each one only for a short moment. Spock was shaking and he stretched his body each time to follow Kirk's withdrawing hands.

Finally Kirk was curious to see what would happen if Spock climaxed, and he sucked on one of the nipples hard. The touch of Spock's hand on his head was unexpected, and the following waves came like a shock. He felt Spock's climax shattering through his own body, and they vibrated in overwhelming pleasure. In the end Kirk fell on the bed next to Spock in exhaustion.

// Does this answer your question? // Kirk heard his lover's mind inquiring.

// It does. Sorry that I have been behaving so stupidly. I didn´t know Vulcans could do something like that...//

// Not only Vulcans - any humanoids of any gender... //

Kirk's thoughts mirrored his confusion. // You mean, I could do it, too?//

// I could it teach you, but I am fully content with your natural abilities...// Spock's finger traveled over the human's chest, making Kirk moaning.

// Disabilities are possibilities, Jim. Or as some put it - a different challenge. //

Spock's mind smiled, and his face mirrored a bit of this emotion.

Jim felt himself protectively embraced by the Vulcan, when he fell asleep.

When Kirk awoke again, he could hear the distant noise of dishes, and found the table was already prepared for a meal.

"You're wonderful," he said and reached up to kiss the long pointed ear of the Vulcan who was concentrating on the salad dressing, "but you know, you don't have to do all the work." Kirk was irritated, and part of him knew that it was the repeating problem of guilt and shame. He didn't know how to overcome this, although it put an unnecessary tension into their otherwise wonderful relationship. 

The Vulcan shook his head and sent a frowning gaze to Kirk. When the salad was ready, he carried it over to the table, but then pulled Kirk to the sofa in the other corner of the room. He placed his fingers on the human's psionic points again.

// I love to please you. That's why I do this for you - care for your, protect you, prepare your food... When you feel good, I do, too. And you feel good when I feel good, didn't you realize? So as long as we both hold the other one so dearly that his well-being is the measure of behavior, we will be happy. //

Kirk's mind pondered these new ideas. 

// And if I would ask for something you wouldn't like, even detest? //

// This may be the case one day. But I am sure that if I would detest it, you would find that because of this it doesn't count much for you, either. This is not about one feeling good at the expense of the other, but about two people who are simply that much attuned with their wants and wishes that life works out for them. //

// It sounds so easy. // Kirk's mind said reluctantly.

// It is easy. // Spock's mind answered.

// I will need time to get adjusted to this... //

// We have a lot of time, Jim. //

// Don't ever leave me, Spock. Never. // Kirk's mind suddenly urged.

// This I cannot promise. But when I leave, I will do anything to come back again. //

// That's sufficient // Kirk's mind replied, and they started kissing again, forgetting the food that went stale on the table...

***

They spent three years together, and while the Vulcan still was officially Kirk's slave for social convenience, they lived like a couple. Kirk's guilt vanished over time, being erased by Spock's repeated assurance that he was happy and felt thoroughly loved. Spock in return did everything he could to support Kirk who had entered SF command as Admiral and was often under pressure from his colleagues because of his independent mind.

It was on a sunny autumn day when the long-feared event finally took place. Spock's face was serene when Kirk entered the door, and he knew that the Vulcan was called by his folk.

// They need me. // Spock's mind said.

// I know. Go to them. // Kirk tried to sound encouraging, but he could not hide his fear.

// I appreciate your support, Jim. //

// You will get more out of it, beloved one. // Kirk summoned the picture of a small space ship.

// What is this? //

// It is my gift to you - a small cruiser with some useful weaponry and it's waiting for you on Pluto. I would have liked to buy a more powerful one, but even my income is limited. //

Spock's open emotion made Kirk blush.

// And I have done the paperwork on your official release from slavery. You will be a free man tomorrow. //

// I will never be a free man again, because I have submitted to the master of my heart already.// The Vulcan's simple statement made Kirk's chest ache unbearably.

// Come back to me, Spock // Kirk's mind said in a last plea and then he ended the meld, fighting for control against his overwhelming emotions.

Spock's finger touched the unusual wetness on Kirk's face. He had never seen tears in those eyes before, and before Kirk could withdraw, he started licking and kissing the salty fluid away. They made love that night as if it would be for the last time... 

Without Spock, the apartment was empty and intimidating. Kirk was restlessly looking for a way to distract himself from the news of the Vulcan resistance movement that was to free the planet for the first time in 1200 years, and probably for the last time, if they would not succeed. He worked late nights through endless shifts, yet could not get away from the flood of information that came in by the Federation intelligence and went over his desk daily. The losses were high on both sides, but obviously the Vulcans had found a way to fight the well armored Orions, because soon one city after another was taken by the Freedom movement. The Vulcans had been summoned from all over the galaxy, a feat that amazed the media, and their number was much higher than previously estimated. They had taken their vow seriously...

Kirk realized that if they would win, they would need help from the Federation, not only in regard to technological and medical support, but also political protection. Orion wouldn't dare to invade Vulcan again, if it would become a member of the United Federation of Planets. 

This was some useful work he could do, so he started a campaign for a free Vulcan, and talked with every important member of the Federation council, soon achieving a broad support for his reasoning throughout the politicians and the Fed population. The sampling of reports on the cruelty of the Orions against the people of T'Kuht, as was their own name for their planet, lead to an upraising general discussion about slavery in the Federation. Kirk could only hope that both movements would stand the pace until the Vulcans had won their fight.

The official announcement of liberty came eight months later, and though the first news spots showed a devastated planet, but the only thing Kirk saw were the smiles on the faces of the Vulcans. He closed his eyes and tried to reach for his beloved one like he had done so many times before, but Spock was too far away - that at least was Kirk's explanation, because he would not consider any other. Now that Vulcan was free and for the time being protected by starfleet ships and Federation law, Spock would contact him soon for sure, and then they would do... what? Live together again? Surely not on Earth. Perhaps on Vulcan... Kirk tried to imagine himself on a hot desert world, but didn't really succeed.

He went to the window and looked down on the bridge of San Francisco. Time would tell...

***

"Docking maneuvers completed," the automatic voice announced emotionlessly over the speakers, but this computer was the only emotionless being on the terminal. The Federation awaited the first delegation from the planet Vulcan, and between the politicians, the security personnel and the media agents with their cameras and microphones Kirk felt displaced. He would have preferred a quiet corner to sit down with Spock where they could enter a meld, sharing the experiences of the Vulcan in this war, sharing the pain and the losses his lover surely had to endure...

His daydreaming came to an abrupt end when one of the reporters made his way to the well-known leader of the "Free Vulcan Now!" movement on Earth and waved the micro around under Kirk's nose. "Is it true, Admiral Kirk, that you had an intimate relationship with your former slave Spock of Vulcan?"

Kirk stared at him, and part of him wondered why they asked it right now, and had never asked it during the many months of the campaign.

"Please concretize," he finally replied, making the reporter blushing slightly.

"Did you fuck?" The impertinent voice of another reporter that had rushed to them made Kirk clench his fists, but then he found the perfect answer.

"I never did fuck him, and he never fucked me, because as you surely know by now, every adult male on Vulcan that was not used for breeding has been castrated, or rather nullified by removing cock and balls. I can explain that to you in detail if you do not feel adequately informed."

He saw the expected response of the men when he mentioned castration, twitching their hips and closing their legs as if to protect their goods from an invisible threat, and he smiled friendly again.

"And now I want to greet our Vulcan friends, thank you," and he went over to the gate where they finally entered, five adults in long brown robes, accompanied by two children, a girl and a boy, of approximately ten Earth standard years. Kirk held his breath when he saw the calm figure of Spock in the middle. He controlled the urgent need to call, but simply reached out through his mind, and Spock's eyes fixed on him as he sent a reassuring emotion through the bond that made Kirk almost faint of pleasure. His lover was back...

When the Federation President had placed his address of welcome, the boy raised his voice and answered. "I speak with the voice of free Vulcan, and on behalf of our silent ancestors. We appreciate the invitation from the United Federation of Planets and look forward to enter the negotiations of our joining." All members of the delegation bowed their heads, and Kirk realized that the children were indeed the voice of Vulcan, being the first generation after decades of silence that would raise its voice as adults in the future. He swallowed hard to fight down some tears that burned in his eyes.

The introduction round seemed endless, and finally he stood before Spock and their gazes fixed on each others, their minds communicating strongly over the unsuspicious touch of their handshake.

// I almost can't believe you're back. I missed you so much. I feared so much. // Kirk's mind was on the emotional edge.

// My love, we were never truly parted. I could sense you often, and you gave me strength in my fight. //

// I didn't know that. But I am glad I did. //

// We will meld later. The children will be our voices and contact you for a place and time //

Kirk nodded in his thoughts, and they released their hands with effort.

Spock's open smile enlightened his features, and the cameras went off in a stunning thunderstorm. 

It took them two days before Spock could come to Kirk's apartment, and when he finally stood in the door, he looked like a stranger in the traditional Vulcan garb and with a distinct smile on his face.

Their touch was careful, almost reluctant, before their blazing passion made them cross their distance. Later they never really knew how they had made it into the bed without clothes, and they loved each other for hours, sharing a deep meld.

Spock opened his wartime memories to Kirk, and the human could share the experience of the psionic efforts that had finally succeeded into the expulsion of the Orion suppressors. When the Orion pirates had arrived 2200 years ago, the Vulcan clans had been so much on odds with each other that the "divide and conquer" principle had fully taken place. The enemy had had an easy job and subjugated the clans one by one, taking them by storm. In the end Vulcan was conquered and the most psionic Vulcans had met death. It had taken several generations to build up the psionic potential again, and to go even further by finding a way to link the whole population together, giving them the ability to communicate wherever they were. Several untimely fights had only lead to an unnecessary drain on that potential, so they had finally decided to wait till the day where their possibility of victory was over 90%, though this took them over a thousand years of waiting. The eidetic brains of the Vulcans would forever hold these memories now, equally carrying burden and hope for the next generations.

Kirk caressed the dark hair of his lover. "Do you think your folk will find a cure for the mutilated voice chords?" he asked reluctantly. Although he loved to use the mind meld, he sometimes felt the urge just to chat with Spock like he did with anybody else.

// We thought about that, but we think that our silence is the best warning we could give to our children and to any other world. Whoever has a voice has to use it well in defense of freedom. //

Spock's mind suddenly laughed.

// And besides, my natural voice was not as interesting as my mind sounds. //

Kirk smiled.

"You're wonderful... and I love it when you laugh, do you know that?"

// Of course. I can read your mind, you remember? // Spock mocked him, and Kirk decided to tease him for that. When he started to tenderly suck the pointed ear of the Vulcan, his lover twitched in pleasure, and suddenly Kirk was the one to break into laughter. Spock raised his eyebrow inquiringly.

"A reporter asked me if we had an intimate relationship, or more directly, if we fucked."

// And your reply...? //

"I told him that we never fucked. And it wasn't even a lie." Kirk shook his head and they chuckled soundlessly in unison.

// I have always failed to understand how such a creative species like humans can be limited to such a one-dimensional sexuality. // Spock's brain mused.

// We only see the obvious, I fear // Kirk's mind replied while his tongue glided up and down the Vulcan's earlobe again.

// Fortunately, not everyone on Terra. // Spock thought and they stopped thinking and made love once more.

***

Spock left for Vulcan again within three weeks, and only two month later Kirk followed his lover to his hot desert planet as the newly acclaimed first Ambassador for Terra. The combined efforts of the Federation and the unbelievably motivated and gifted people of T'Kuht led to a fast rebuilding of general facilities, food supply and everything else related to science and knowledge, that was held in high esteem on this planet.

In the evenings Kirk often stood on the terrace of the Embassy and looked down on the streets of ShiKahr, wallowing in the view over the new houses with their colorful decorations and the animated people on the streets. This world was still much too silent in comparison to Earth, but every now and then a child's voice could be heard resounding in the city, and he cherished those moments.

He noticed Spock's arrival only from the rustling sounds that the robe made in the stony floor, and then he stood beside him already and looked down over the nightly town, too. Their hands met in a soft touch.

"Welcome home, beloved one," Kirk said, and Spock nodded.

"Isn't it a wonderful news?"

// It is. And that the Federation finally has abolished slavery is partly your merit. //

"I wouldn't have campaigned for anyone else, Spock," Kirk had to admit.

// I know. But you did for me and the intention was in this case sufficient. //

Kirk looked down casually and fetched a small box from his pockets.

// I wondered if you would consider an official announcement of another kind of slavery... //

His hand opened the box, unveiling a pair of golden rings.

// Is this a wedding proposal? // Spock's mind asked.

// It is... in classic Terran tradition, I admit... // Kirk's thoughts were almost apologizing.

The Vulcan shifted his body to face Kirk, and a smile traveled over his face, something that still made Kirk's heart jump every time he saw it.

Spock caressed the brows of his human with his fingertips, following their round sloping line to the cheeks and ending on the cool soft lips.

// I love you. // His mind said.

And Kirk bowed his head, smiling in wordless acknowledgement. 


End file.
